This invention relates generally to an apparatus for attaching a steering wheel to a steering column.
Typically, a steering wheel and a steering column do not come as a pre-assembled unit. Often a steering wheel is manufactured by a different supplier than the steering column. Thus, it is necessary to provide an apparatus for attaching the steering wheel to the steering column. Past attachment mechanisms have not been entirely satisfactory. In addition, the inclusion of air bag systems with steering wheels in a integrated steering wheel air bag system does not permit the use of traditional methods for attaching a steering wheel to a steering column. In an integrated steering wheel air bag system the air bag portion of the system is mounted into the steering wheel prior to attachment of the steering wheel to the steering column.
One difficulty with the use of past attachment mechanisms with an integrated steering wheel air bag system is that the traditional attachment mechanism is not accessible when an air bag module is mounted to the steering wheel. A second difficulty with past attachment mechanisms has been the requirement for complex tools to attach and to remove the steering wheel from the steering column. Finally, past methods have been very costly and have experienced difficulty in fitting the attachment apparatus within the allowable space.
Thus, it is desirable to provide an attachment apparatus that permits a user to reproducibly secure a steering wheel to a steering column whether an air bag module is mounted to the steering wheel or not. It is furthermore desirable to provide an apparatus that is simpler in design than current attachment mechanisms.